Here are several of the most Frequently Asked Questions. We will update this page as we continue to get more questions asked. We also try our best to answer the most popular questions in our blog posts. Thanks for reading!

1. What is the difference between Freeze Dried and Dehydrated?
The process of freeze drying is the food is flash frozen and then placed in a vacuum chamber where a low level heat is applied to evaporate the ice without returning it to liquid form. The process removes up to 97% of the water in the product. Freeze Dried Foods have some major benefits. It preserves the freshness, color and aroma similar to frozen foods while providing the shelf -stable convenience of canned foods.
The process of dehydrating food is the water is slowly cooked out of the product without actually cooking it. They do shrink in size compared to Freeze Dried foods. In my experience they do take longer to rehydrate as well.

2. How do I use oxygen packets? If I put packets in a bucket, and the open the bucket to get some product, can I put the lid back on and they will be ok? How many per bucket?
Typically, you use 1 oxygen packet per gallon. Fill your container with the food being stored, throw the oxygen packets on top of product and seal your container. The oxygen packets should not be left in the open for more than 30 minutes.
If you open your container to get product out, you should not re-use the oxygen packet.
Check out our "All About Oxygen Absorbers" post for more.

3. How do I know when my product was packaged?
The best way to know when your product was packaged would be by reading the lot number, located on the bottom of our Honeyville packaging. Because these numbers can be kind of difficult to read, visit our "Frequently Asked Page" on our corporate website to find out how to read the lot number on your product.

60 comments:

If I add all dry ingredients to a Seal A Meal bag and seal it will it be the same as adding them to a jar and adding a air pack? It would take up less space for me but you never mention sealing bags so not sure I should use them. Thanks

I've never worked with Seal-A-Meal bags, so I don't know if I feel good about suggesting it. Our Mylar bags work great and, when used with an oxygen absorber, seal our products very well with less space than a mason jar. I'd definitely suggest using those.

Is there a table for reconstitution of shortening, buttermilk, margarine powders? (i.e. pkg says mix 1/3 cup water to 1/2 cup powder....how MUCH does that make? If I need 2 cups of shortening for a recipe, how much powder would I add?

Was fascinated there was dry butter so I ordered some. The taste is wonderful!!! I did try to put it in a frying to melt to fry food and that didn't work. It didn't melt down to oil. I am guessing it won't melt or I did something wrong? If it won't melt how does it work in recipes?

Yes, the Almonds in our Almond flour start out raw and are processed in a facility that only processes almonds. The pasteurizing process is a blanching, which is a high heat water bath that removes the skins.

My questions is regarding the recommended shelf life of the freeze dried products: most of your products say 10 to 15 years, other companies offering freeze dried foods give a 25 or even 30 year shelf life. Is there a difference? or is your company just being conservative?

Great question! Our shelf life comes from numerous tests done by outside companies and is based on how long the product will hold it's nutritional value. While some of our products my still be edible after the posted shelf life, their nutritional value drops drastically. Other companies have posted that their products have longer shelf lives, but they simply cannot back that up with any statistics or testing on their products. At best, their shelf life is simple a "guess" while ours is based on research, study, and testing the products for ourselves.

I am making a lot of the meals in a jar by Chef Tess.... when using the macaroni and pastas for the meals... are the ones out of the grocery store the same as she is using? I read where you can cook pastas almost done, the dehydrate them. Is Honeyville's pastas and egg noodles different from the ones in the stores?

Question: I am trying to make the Artisan bread recipe submitted by Chef Tess (using HOneyville's Artisan flour). After 12 hours, the dough still has not risen. Has anyone else had this experience and, if so, how was it rectified. Since I have 50# of flour for this purpose, I hope I can figure out how to actually make bread!! Thank you

It sounds like a problem with the yeast to me. Your yeast may be too old or not strong enough. Test your yeast out by sprinkling a little bit in some warm water. If it doesn't start to bubble within 5 minutes, it's no good.

We always recommend using an oxygen absorber, just to make sure everything is sealed properly. You'd never want to open a can 10 years later, only to find out that the vacuum sealer didn't seal the container properly.

I have been looking for long term food storage for a severe celiac. I was wondering if your freeze dried foods and flours that either labeled as gluten-free or say "contains no allergens" are processed in separate facilities or on sterilized equipment so as to avoid cross-contamination?

recipes such as meals in a jar areare expressed in terms of cups, tbsp. and tsp. Where on the site can I find how many cups, ect are in a can or pouch for your products. Example I would like to make 30 days worth of meals in a jar. how can I calculate the proper quantity of cans I need to purchase to accomplish my goal?.A #_ can of freeze dried X contains how many cups?

Hi Vivienne! We do have sugar in our Peanut Butter Powder. If you visit shop.honeyville.com and search for our Peanut Butter Powder, you'll find all the ingredients listed under the product description. Hope this helps with the confusion. Thanks for the question!

If you look at the description for each product on our page, you'll see that we list the amount in each can. You should be able to take that information and, based on the recipe you are using, calculate the amount each can will make. Hope this helps!

Because the beef chunks re-hydrate so quickly, we'd recommend not re-hydrating and freezing them, but simply waiting to re-hydrate them until it's time to use them. Hope this helps out! Thanks for the question!

Great question Julie! In the case of your sour cream and butter powder, once the can is open, you need to treat it as real sour cream or butter. That means that it needs to be refrigerated. I'd suggest removing the contents from the can and placing them in a Mason Jar, then storing them in the refrigerator. If it hasn't been too long since you opened them, you may even want to drop an oxygen absorber in the mason jar to keep the original shelf life that it had sealed in the can. If not sealed, remember that it's real food and you probably only have 3-6 months lifespan in your refrigerator. Out of your refrigerator, a lot less! Hope this helps answer your question!

I am confused. In an earlier post, you said that if you opena can of pwder butter or sour cream that you need to put it in a mason jar, add an O2 absorber and refridgerate. If you need to refridgerate, then how can I add this to my meals in a jar or mylar bag and be shelf stable? I just ordered these products and if I have to refridgerate them, then not sure that I want them!!!!New Prepper!!

Today your Hamburger Bun recipe arrived via e-mail and was wondering when you substitute ground popcorn if you mean popped popcorn or popcorn seed/kernels? I have no idea what Teff is so it could mean either and it didn't say anything but fresh popcorn. Seed or popped? Been making our own hamburger buns for over 40 years now. Your recipes is quite different than any of the four different recipes we make. I kinda tend to go off the reservation but husband likes to color within the lines.

If I use the mixed veggies with FD meat and rehydrate them should they be cooked or have they been cooked before FD? I understand that all is necessary is to warm them, in a Tin foil packet over the hot coals once rehydrated. Does that mean that they are already cooked then FDed?TIAGeoCar

all my cans are unopened at present. If I open them to create some of the meals in a jar but do not use all of the ingredients, how long will the remaining ingredients remain shelf stable, if re-sealed with O2 absorbers? would it be the same length of time listed on the unopened can? thank you

We don't have a recipe on the blog yet using it in peanut butter cookies, but, if you reconstitute it, it should work exactly like peanut butter in any recipe that calls for it. I'd try reconstituting it first into regular peanut butter, then adding that to the recipe. I hope this helps answer your question, and we'll try to get a good recipe on the blog soon for Peanut Butter Cookies!

re the freeze dried sweet corn - says is organic but is it non-GMO. can it be ground into a meal in freeze-dried form or does it have to be rehydrated then dried in a conventional home method (oven, hone dehydrator etc). also, general question on all products, do you have any that are not processed in the same facility as peanuts. my daughter developed a fatal, literally, allergy to peanuts in her late 30s and can no longer risk being exposed to even minute amounts of peanut dust etc.

Hi Ryan! We have a list of different groups and organizations that certify our products organic, depending on the product and where it originates from. Give us a call and we can let you give you the certification information for the specific product you're looking at.

The shelf life after it is open, if you choose not to seal it back up, varies from product to product. The best way thing to remember is that once open, treat it like fresh food. So with the potatoes, if you leave it open, in the can, it will probably be good for no longer than a month. We always suggest sealing all your remaining ingredients in a mason jar with an oxygen absorber, which you can purchase from our store website.